Product Description

The Battle of Poltava, 1709, marks the birth of Peter the Great's vast Russian Empire. In 1700, seeking to open Russian trade routes to the West, the Tsar combined with Denmark, Saxony and Poland to attack Swedish hegemony in the North. Against the odds, King Charles XII of Sweden subdued the hostile coalition for nearly a decade, but in 1708 took his fatal decision to march for Moscow. His defeat at Poltava, in the Ukraine, proved the turning-point of the Great Northern War, heralding the collapse of the Swedish Empire and the rise of Russia, the effects of which would be felt for almost 300 years. Here, Englund vividly recounts the three violent days of the battle.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #402179 in Books
• Published on: 2002-12-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'the most outstanding brilliant military history I've ever read'

About the Author
Peter Englund wrote this book, the best-selling history in Sweden for a decade, while still a doctoral candidate at Uppsala University. He is now a Professor there, and a regular contributor to the Swedish media.

Customer Reviews

Excellently written military history.
This book ranks amongst the very best military history I have ever read. It incorporates a detailed account of the action at Poltava, clear portraits of the main actors and moving accounts of what happened to so many of the ordinary Swedish soldiers. As it says on the cover, it pulls no punches about fighting. It makes an excellent starting point for delving into warfare of the era.